ambulance
by mezzalou
Summary: a call out goes wrong, and relationships are tested in all saints emergency department when two of there friends are subjected to violence.
1. Chapter 1

It was a rainy day in the suburbs of Sydney for everyone it was a gloomy day and like some people most people have to work in poor weather conditions such as cate McMasters and here co-worker Heath valega, both paramedics sat in the ambulance driving back to the hospital, as they drive through the roughest part of town they see things happen in broad daylight, they see men handing young children bags of a white unknown substance, the children are reluctant to take it but then the burly white guy pulls out a weapon and points it in the lads face.

"Oh my god we have to go and help that poor kid" says Cate trying to act fast at what she has just seen.

"don't if we go and intervene then we could end up being injured or worse, we should just drive on and head back to the hospital" says Heath gripping cates arm holding her back from what she was about to do.

"But that lad was no more than fifteen all three of them looked to me under the age of 16, what do you supposed I do carry on like I have seen nothing" says Cate.

"no what I was trying to say is we go back to the hospital then call the police and tell them what we saw" says Heath.

"oh ok but what is this world coming to kids being forced into drug dealing at the age of fifteen by men they hardly know, how can I bring a child into this world" huffs out cate.

Heath looks to cate after hearing her last rant about children, he recalls her exact words and is shocked at what he just heard his partner say, heath sits in the driver's seat trying to get over the fact his partner may have told him something personal about her.

"Right let's get back to the hospital, and maybe we can stop and have a bit of dinner we need to keep our strength up" says Heath acting cheery.

"Yeah let's do maybe we might bump into Constable Saunders when we are there" says Cate.

Heath starts to drive the ambulance and soon they arrive at the hospital, heath parks the ambulance in the designated spaces provided, as they both exit the vehicle they see PC Saunders walking past them ready to leave the hospital, as soon as cate sees him she jumps out the vehicle fast as a bolt of lightning and then she nearly pounces on him like a cat, cate catches upto him and speaks to him, after telling him what she saw he talks to her gently but tells her that there is nothing they can do because there has been no reports so far and he leaves it at that but he wrote down her complaint for notes purposes because deep down he was a softy and he too hated to see kids being used as drug couriers.

Cate walks back to the ambulance where she sees her partner stood leaning against the van waiting for her to return, once there she glares at him waiting for him to say told you so, but he didn't.

"So are we going to have some lunch before we get another call out" asks Heath?

"Yeah you can but I will pass on food" says Cate.

"You do know you need to eat or you will not have enough energy to work, and I don't need you collapsing on me when I have a patient to treat" explains Heath.

"Yes mother I know my stomach just feels queasy today, and the thought of food makes me want to vomit" answers Cate rubbing her stomach absentmindedly.

"Does this sick feel relate to what you told me earlier" asks Heath hinting to there earlier chat.

"You heard what I accidentally blurted out" asks Cate looking to her partner in discussed.

"yeah I did but you have my word I will not breathe a word of this to anyone, but if something happens to you and you need medical intervention I have to tell people then" says Heath.

"I know but at the moment I don't want people knowing at all saints" says Cate.

"ok it just stays between me and you for now, but now that we are having this conversation I now you don't feel like eating but for the baby's sake please just have something to eat even if it is just something light" says Heath trying to persuade cate to eat.

"Fine can you get me a soup from the canteen, I feel like sitting here in the quiet" answers cate.

"Sure be back in five minutes, and don't go anywhere" says Heath

Heath wonders off to the canteen to get himself a sandwich and as cate requested a soup, but he goes against her wishes and he buys her an orange juice and an energy bar, whether she liked it or not, and so heath stuck to his promise and he only took five minutes, as he approaches the truck he looks into the driver's seat and sees cate deep in thought, he opens the door to the driver's seat and climbs in disturbing cate in her thoughts.

"Oh you're back so soon" says Cate looking to her partner.

"Well I didn't take my time because I knew you weren't feeling to great and I think that if you get something inside your stomach you may feel better" says Heath.

"Right so what did you get" asks cate looking at the amount of food in the bag?

"Oh I know you said you only wanted some soup but I think you might need sugar so I got you a pure orange juice and an energy bar" says Heath handing over the energy bar and the juice.

"Thanks for thinking of me, I will save them for later" says Cate taking the goods and puts them inside the glove compartment.

"You not going to eat the energy bar now" asks Heath?

"No I want to be careful of what I can keep down" answers Cate.

Just before the pair are about to take a bite or spoonful of their food a call comes in on the radio.

" _Car 978 is you clear for a call out" asks operations through the radio._

" _Car 978 clear for call out over" answers cate responding to the radio call._

" _Call to residential address women found unconscious at home the address is Franklyn Street the caller said he would stand outside waiting for you over" answers Operations._

" _Received car 978 on way" says Cate through the radio and places the radio on the dash board._

Heath takes a bite of his sandwich and puts it in the wrapper until later, but cate manages to eat her soup while heath drove to their next call out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Franklyn road

Heath and cate pull up to the house where the man in his late 40's to early fifties stood outside frantically waving at them, they get out of the ambulance and grab what equipment they need and soon they follow the man into the house, as they walk in the garden and to the house both heath and cate take note of what the house looks like trying to find out if the house was suspicious as they walked through they saw that the garden was clean cut but what stood out was the soil on the boarders of the grass which had been disturbed, to heath it looked as if there were a herd of elephants trampled on the soil heading into the house.

As they walked through the front door they look around to see the house is elegantly furnished and a bit too pricey for the owners, but to them they thought the house was tidy and was a 21st century style home, elegant for a middle aged couple to live in, as they enter the living room they see a middle aged women with blonde hair lay on the floor unconscious, both paramedics look around the floor and then too the women and the man supposedly her husband who was stood at the side of the women looking cagey.

"Hey mate what happened here" asks Cate?

"I don't know I came home from work early and found her on the floor, I tried to wake her but I didn't get an answer" answers Jim.

"What is your name" asks Heath?  
"Oh my name is Jim and this is my wife Helen" answers Jim.

"Ok has she got any medical conditions we need to know about" asks Cate?

"Err no only diabetes" answers Jim looking round to make sure no one was around.

"Are you ok sir, you look a bit scared" asks Heath?

"No am just worried the people who hurt my wife may come back" answers Jim.

"Well once we have dealt with your wife and got her to hospital then we will ask the hospital to contact the police informing them of the assault on your wife" explains heath

"Wait police" asks Jim?

"Yeah in any unexplained incident we have the authority to inform the police of our suspicions" answers Heath.

"No I can't allow that" says Jim getting violent.

Suddenly the back door opens, and in walks three men the first man looked to be the victims son and the other two were his two friends, heath looks the men up and down and he soon clocks that all three are carrying guns, they stand still in a line looking at the lady on the floor who is being tended to by cate who also looks up to the three men who she recognized from earlier, and soon the men recognized cate and heath.

Both didn't know that when they witnessed three older men who looked to be about in there early twenty's badgering three young lads under the age of sixteen, forcing them to deal drugs if they didn't something nasty would happen to there family's, as cate and heath drove past they witnessed the heated exchange that the three men noticed and they wanted to get revenge on them and to make sure that they won't blab to the police about what they saw, but they didn't expect to see them so soon.

"No one is calling the police" says Dean.

"I remember you, a young lad and you had a heated discussion" says cate remembering the man's face.

"yeah wait you seen me this morning with a young lad" asks Dean pulling out his weapon and getting very annoyed to be identified as a drug dealer, so he puts the gun in cate's face.

"We did and we told the police about the boy and how old he is" sneers cate.

"You grass the pair of you" shouts dean lamping cate across the face with the butt of the gun knocking her to the ground clutching her cheek.

"Hey son what is going on here and what are they talking about" asks Jim looking to his son for answers?

"Nothing just stay out of it old man it's your two's fault that I am in this mess" shouts dean waving the gun.

"Dean is that your name, can I ask why is it your parents fault for being in this mess" asks Cate trying to get him to talk.

"They made me who I am today, they kicked me out and made me out of my house at a young age and left me to defend for myself and know they won't talk to me or help me" shouts dean.

"So you attacked your mom while your dad was out at work" asks Cate?

"yes I came here to get some money to pay off my debt but then mum walked in a caught me she went mad, she grabbed the phone but I tried to stop her then bobby over there intervened and hit her over the back of the head " explains Dean crying over what he had done.

"So why don't you put the gun down and let us help your mom because we will not help her until you put the gun down" says Cate.

"You got to help her know "shouts Jim.

"Hey Jim I think you're a nice guy and I don't want to lose my temper with you but you need to listen to my partner we can't treat her when we have guns pointed at our faces" reasons heath.

Jim grabs the gun from his son and points it towards cate and heath.

"Help her know I aint joking, if you don't one of you lot will get it, and I am not afraid to shoot my own disgrace of a son" says Jim pointing the gun between cate, heath and his son.

"Am sorry Jim but our answer is still the same" says Heath.

"Well then one of you is going to die today you lot choose" says Jim preparing to pull the trigger.

"I will do it, since I am the reason why we are in this mess again, like you say dad I am a disgrace and know thanks to you am in debt maybe if I get killed the vultures may stop harassing me for money" offers dean.

Jim prepares to shoot his own son when out of nowhere cate lunges in front of dean, bang the gun has been fired and soon heath and dean see the bullet hit cate in the right side near her hip.

"you idiots maybe you could put the gun down before someone else gets hurt, oh and just so you two idiots know she is pregnant so if she loses the baby I will pin it on both of you's " shouts heath getting down next to cate and attending to the gunshot wound.

The two men who walked in with dean ran off out the back door after Jim had shot cate, they figured out who their boss is and they decided they didn't want to be implicated in two murders, so they left leaving dean and his dad who is also the ring leader of the drug dealer the one who had ordered them to use children as drug mules.

"Hey were did your friends go" asks Heath?

"Don't know, maybe they finally figured out who their boss is" answers dean looking to his father.

"So who is your boss" asks Heath?

"don't know one day my dad kicked me out and then a day later I got a call telling me I have a package and a job, and the job was to deal drugs to young kids and make them get hooked, I didn't want to do it" cries Dean.

"hang on a minute you are the leader, you kicked your son out of the house so you could get him to deal your drugs, he didn't but you got your guys to beat him up the first time and they stuck to him like glue, and know you changed the rules once you figured out that the lads weren't making a profit so you told them to deal to young kids and get them to deal for you as well" shouts heath pointing to Jim figuring out that he is the nasty man and his son and his wife is the victim in all of this.

"yeah that was good know what about my wife she needs help and your friend is fine know so help her get her to hospital" shouts Jim.

"Jim like I told you earlier you having the gun in your hand is not going to make me help your wife, I am not risking anyone else's life by taking you or your wife to hospital" answers Heath.

"Fine dean get the trolley from the ambulance, if he won't take her then I will have to take all three of you" says Jim waving the gun.

Dean does as he is told and goes to the ambulance to get the trolley, he comes back with the trolley, while he is out of the house Jim beats cate while she is unconscious causing more facial bleeding, and bruising to the right side of her chest as Jim landed two solid kicks to her side, soon dean gets back in to the house with the trolley when he gets in there he looks to his dad and heath, to him they look to have a heated discussion and then he looks to the floor where cate is lay and he sees the blood covering her face.

"What happened" asks Dean?

"Oh don't worry son she woke up and started to attack me so I had to hurt her, but don't worry we will leave her here just me, your mom and the paramedic will go" explains Jim in his evil way.

"No we can't leave her here when she is bleeding" says Heath.

"Do as I say or him or her die" snarls Jim.

"Ok but let me put a line in her" asks Heath?

"Fine" agrees Jim.

Heath puts a line into cate's hand and attaches a drip and lets it run through, he takes off his radio and hers and lies them next to cate, and soon Jim, himself and dean are pushing the trolley out of the house and load her into the ambulance leaving cate bleeding out in the house of the drug dealers.


	3. Chapter 3

Ambulance Chapter 3

Jim made heath and his son push the trolley out to the ambulance, once they were at the ambulance dean and Jim climbed in the back with Helen, whilst heath climbed into the driver's seat on the orders of Jim who kept the gun at the side of his head the whole time that they were travelling, even though in his head he was thinking about his partner who lay on the living room floor of that deranged man's house beaten and shot.

What Jim and heath didn't know is that the nosey neighbours from next door clocked the three men pushing the trolley to the ambulance but the lovely nosey neighbours where wondering where the blonde paramedic was, after the ambulance drove off with its lights on the lady dialled triple ooo and called the police about her suspicions.

the police arrived at the address in no time, and pc Saunders and his partner walked into the house where the door was left wide open, they wander through the house searching for anything out of place as they walk into one room they find a small heroin factory built in the garage possibly where Jim made the drugs and dealt them to the street kids, Pete walks into the living room and he is shocked at the person lay on the floor groaning in pain, it was cate he knelt down next to her checking her out, then his partner calls for back up and an ambulance.

"Cate can you hear me, it Pc Saunders help is on its way" says Pete trying to wake cate up.

"Uhhh Pete, heath has been kidnapped along with the patient and her son the husband has them held hostage in the ambulance, he is also the bastard that is supplying the kids the drugs" croaks cate breathing through the pain.

"Ok cate you rest help is on its way" answers Pete being reassuring.

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All saints emergency

The ED was busy for a Tuesday morning and like everyone else Lorraine and her junior colleague Bree were also busy, they stopped at the nurses station filling out the relevant paperwork after the transferred the recent patient which happened to be a young lad of sixteen who came in with a suspected drug overdose, and they happen to see a few of the doctors and nurses who were working today.

"How has your morning been" asks Zoe?

"Hectic that lad is the third case today of drug overdose" says Lorraine.

"Well we have informed the police" answers Zoe.

"Is it me or is there someone out there dealing drugs and trying to kill kids" asks Bree?

"Don't know but we will find out soon we found the baggies on all three of our current patients and the lab are testing the drugs, and whatever the results they will pass them straight onto the police" explains Zoe.

"Well I hope they string the person or persons responsible for creating the drugs" answers Lorraine.

"Hey what you lot gossiping about" asks Gabrielle walking to the nurse's station placing her drugs tray on the counter top.

"We were talking about our current patients and the drugs problem that is plaguing our streets at the moment" says Zoe.

"Well before our next call out maybe we can get a spot of lunch" says Lorraine not before her radio sounds.

"What did you say about lunch" says Bree.

" _Car 928 is you clear for a call out" asks Operations through the radio._

" _Operations this is car 928 we are clear for a callout" answers Lorraine responding through the radio._

" _Great can you respond to a call out on Franklyn road police need ambulance assistance over" says Operations._

" _Received "answers Lorraine._

"Hey wasn't there a call out there this morning" asks Bree remembering hearing the same address earlier in the morning.

"Yeah but am sure cate and heath dealt with that call" says Lorraine?

"Hey when did cate and heath deal with that call out" asks Gabrielle looking concerned and confused.

"Err about 2 hours ago" answers Lorraine looking to her watch on her wrist.

"They should have been back by know, or on the way to here" says Gabrielle.

"Right lets go Bree, we will call you with an update soon" says Lorraine rushing off and out of the Ed, they head straight to the ambulance head to the house were heath and cate were at or currently.

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Frankly road

Bree and Lorraine drive onto Franklyn road when they get onto the actual street they have to weave in and out of the police cars and news vans parked outside the house, as they pull to the side of the road just outside of the lovely family home, or what was a lovely home, Lorraine gets out of the ambulance along with Bree when all of a sudden they are met by Pc Pete Saunders who walks over to them and greets them before they find out from someone else he starts to explain the problem.

"Hey Pete can I ask what is going on here" asks Lorraine pointing to the circus gathering outside the suspected house.

"You not heard" asks Pete?

"Nope all we know is that the police need assistance, but I do know that this house had a call out to it this morning and it was heath and cate" explains Lorraine.

"Oh so ambulance operations didn't tell you the problem, well I will get you up to speed, cate and heath dealt with a call out at this address, well something went wrong and the neighbour next door got a bit suspicious" explains Pete.

"So what went on and where are cate and heath and the patients" asks Lorraine?

"the neighbour called the police when she noticed something, the ambulance arrived she seen cate and heath enter the house, but when they exited she spotted something odd so she called us, when heath left the house he left with two other males and a red haired lady on the trolley, and the neighbours also tells us that heath and the young lad was a bit scared when they left the house" explains Pete talking well walking to the house.

"So what happened to cate" asks Bree.

"we got here and found her like this, before we called for backup she told us that heath and the son have been kidnapped by the drug dealer father" explains Pete walking into the house and then into the living room to where cate lay on the floor.

Lorraine and Bree walk into the living room to find cate lay on the floor with her face pouring with blood, and a wound to her right hip, they get to work on their colleague.

"Cate, hey don't worry you're ok me and Bree are here to help" says Lorraine getting onto the floor next to cate and she holds her hand reassuring her as she gets to work.

"Bree get the spinal board and the oxygen and then get on to ambulance control and tell them what we know so far" orders Lorraine.

"Yeah sure" says Bree getting up from the floor and heads off to get the equipment she needed from the truck.

Bree went to the ambulance to get the equipment leaving Lorraine comforting an injured cate, soon she returns to the living room only to find cate in a distressed state with Lorraine trying to calm her down.

"Here is the stuff but I haven't called ambulance control yet, so how is she so far" asks Bree?

"I don't know I am concerned for her well-being, she is distressed and there is something else she keeps holding her stomach" says Lorraine.

"Is she awake and alert" asks Bree?

"Don't know let's try and rouse her, and calm her down because her blood pressure keeps spiking" answers Lorraine.

"Cate can you hear me, come on open your eyes for me" says Lorraine shaking cate to wake up.

"Uhhhh, what happened, ahhh "groans cate holding her side when she moves to get comfortable.

"hey whoa easy their love, you have injuries to your ribs and cuts and bruises to your face, and also you have a wound to your hip, so I need you to calm down and help us and tell us where you have pain" asks Lorraine reassuring cate.

"My head, hip hurts and it's hard to breathe" answers Cate moving the mask from her face.

"Ok well I am going to administer some morphine for the pain, and it will help you to relax and then I am going to get you onto the spinal board" explains Lorraine.

"No morphine please" answers cate.

"Hey cate you are in pain and we need to move you from here to the ambulance and movement will cause pain, unless you have a reason why you don't want morphine then tell us and we could help" says Bree.

"Fine I am pregnant, I found out the other day, only heath knew" answers Cate.

"Ok well congratulations but I need you to do me a favour and help us by calming down and cooperate, and I will give you some paracetamol to make you comfortable for the ride to the hospital" explains Lorraine trying to reason with her friend.

"Fine but please tell me if you hear anything about heath he is my partner" says Cate.

"Sure, now let me and Bree do all the work, and let us know if it gets too much for you" says Lorraine.

"Fine" answers Cate.

Lorraine and Bree move cate onto the spinal board with the help of Pete the friendly police officer, once she is secured to the board and the trolley they move her to the ambulance and soon they were on the way to hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

All saints emergency

Zoe Gallagher stood at the nurses station when all of a sudden the red phone on the desk sounded out its ring tone, Gabrielle gets up from her seat to answer the phone whilst her other colleagues such as Erica and Dan who stood there gossiping about what he had seen two days ago when he was taking a patient up to maternity.

Gabrielle answers the phone, and she is shocked to hear the people on the other end as it was the ambulance operations telling them what is going on with their officers and that they have an incoming of an injured ambulance officer and a possible kidnapping, soon her face drops and all he friends and colleagues spot her face and walk to her.

"Hey Gabrielle you ok" asks Zoe looking to her friend.

"Err we have an incoming and it is a women has been beaten up and shot" answers Gabrielle in a shocked voice.

"Whoever was on the phone to Gabrielle certainly shook her up, wonder who the gunshot victim is, anyway you wouldn't guess who I saw up in maternity the other day" says Dan wondering who the mysterious patient is.

"I don't know but maybe we should go and help Gabrielle set up rescus bay for the incoming and whoever it is, it really has gotten too her" says Erica.

"Fine I will tell you, I saw cate and she had a scan photo in her hand, I bet the dad is someone we know and she is too scared to tell us" says Dan.

After Gabrielle put the phone down on the hook, both Dan and Erica get back to work by setting up a drugs trolley ready for the mysterious patient on the way in by ambulance, zoe sees the two courageous nurses busying themselves while there boss hurries off to the resus bay to prep and to mull over the shock information she had just received, zoe walks in and finds her friend working quietly, she looks to her colleague and she can see it in her eyes the worry and shock so she decides to approach her friend.

"Hey Gabrielle what's going on and why you upset" asks Zoe?

"We have an incoming and it's a woman who has been beaten up and shot" answers Gabrielle.

"Ok but why the tears" asks Zoe placing a comforting hand on her shoulder?

"It's not the injuries, but it's the person who the ambulance officers are bringing in, and operations also told me who the drug dealer is" answers Gabrielle.

"Oh good maybe they can get justice" says Zoe in a relieved voice.

"Not at the moment, before he could be arrested the man took his own son and an ambulance officer hostage, but before they left he attacked another ambulance officer and she got shot in the process, and there is another thing, the victim is also pregnant as well" explains Gabrielle.

"Wait please tell me that cate is not the injured ambulance officer" asks Zoe?

"Yeah how do you know" asks Gabrielle?

"I heard Erica and Dan talking and Dan told Erica that cate is pregnant, so I put two and two together" explains Zoe.

"Yeah it is so I am getting this ready and frank has been informed that there is an incoming but he doesn't know that the injured ambulance officer is cate and he does now that the person is pregnant as well" answers Gabrielle.

"So what do we know about heath and the lad that's been kidnapped with him" asks Zoe?

"Not much only that the lad is in his late teens and the police have lost contact with the ambulance" answers Gabrielle.

"Okay well let's get set up and I will call maternity and put them on standby and ask them to send down a ultrasound for us" says Zoe helping her prep.

Soon the doors to the emergency department open and then in comes Lorraine and Bree steering the trolley into the department, on it is a disorientated cate lay on an uncomfortable spinal board and a collar around her neck stopping her from moving her neck, as the trolley is wheeled in with the patient on Lorraine starts reeling off cates personal details and her vitals and the injuries she sustained during the suspected hostage situation, once in the resus bay frank walks to the bed and at first all he could see is a white uniform similar one to the ones Bree and Lorraine are wearing now, he comes closer and takes a closer look to the blonde lay flat on the trolley with wires and bandages on her body, frank gasps in shock at the sight before his eyes.

"What happened to her" asks Frank?

"We found her in a house alone, when we got there she was agitated and refused painkillers, she was bleeding from the hip, and she also complained of pain in her head and chest" explains Lorraine.

"Where is her partner" asks Frank?

"Both cate and heath were held hostage by a man who dealt drugs to young children, he also took his son and wife hostage, they battered cate before taking off in the ambulance" explains Lorraine.

"right well we will deal with the police later and the hostage problem, but for now let's focus on treating cate, and move her to the other bed on my count of 3,,, 3 ,2 ,1 move" says frank.

Once they move cate to the other bed causing cate to scream in pain from the movement, they managed to get her settled and calm so that they could work on her, frank takes charge with zoe assisting and people stood around waiting for a job so that they could help their pain stricken friend.

"Cate if you can hear me can you open your eyes please" asks Frank talking to cate who is strapped to the board.

Cate complies with franks request and she opens her eyes making people around her release a sigh of relief.

"good now I do now about the baby and I want to reassure you that we will try and save the baby but for now our main priority is you, so we will give you fluid, blood and painkillers, and I will keep you in here but looking at your hip it doesn't look to have hit any major organs" explains Frank.

"Great when can I get off this board lying down is causing me more pain" answers Cate catching her breath.

"Okay I will chase up CT for you, try and bump you up to the top of the list" says Frank.

"Cate are you having trouble breathing" asks Zoe noticing cate struggling for breath.

"Yeah it only just come on though, I think I might have broken a rib or two" answers cate.

"Ok I am just going to have a look at your ribs and prod them, just tell me if they hurt when I touch you ok" says Zoe.

Zoe feels around cate's chest, feeling for brakes as she goes, as her hands move across cate's chest prodding and pressing waiting is the key, waiting to see if cate had pain in her chest when her hands presses on one her ribs she immediately feels the brake in the first rib, after feeling and prodding Zoe grabs her stethoscope from around her neck and she starts to listen to cates lungs hoping that she was wrong, as she listens she doesn't hear what she was expecting concluding to her that cate has a broken rib and know her chest is filling with blood.

"cate you have a broken rib but I want it confirmed by the scans when they are ready for you, but I am concerned for your breathing, I think the possible broken rib has punctured your lung" explains Zoe.

"Just as I thought, what other injuries do I have" asks Cate.

"Err you have a suspected concussion, possible broken ribs, gunshot wound to the hip and facial lacerations" answers Zoe.

"Great I knew about the hip wound and the cheek laceration that happened first but after that it was all a blur" answers Cate groggily.

"What can you tell me about the shout this morning" asks Zoe?

"err we arrived the man opened the door frantic, he showed us inside to where his wife lay on the floor bleeding she had a bad head injury and I think she had an injury to her side but I hadn't had a chance to examine her because a lad now identified as the couple's son walked in along with two of his mates, me and heath recognized them from before the three of them were dealing on the streets in the city to kids, we thought they didn't see us but they must of, that's when all hell broke loose" explains Cate.

"okay good well stick to that story when the police speak to you, if you want to have someone present when you speak to them let me know I can arrange for myself, Gabrielle or frank to sit in with you" offers zoe.

"Thanks I might take you up on that offer, look can I get off of this board my back is really killing me" asks Cate.

"Were about is the pain in your back" asks Zoe curiously?

"Oh it's just in my lower back; it's from lying down too long "answers Cate.

"Ok give me a few minutes while I speak to frank" answers Zoe walking out of the cubicle to speak to frank.

Zoe walks out of the resus cubicle and approaches frank with her concerns for the special patient they have in the department.

"hey frank can you come and examine cate she is complaining of pain in her lower back, she says it's from lying down too long, but I am not convinced, I would like to do a log roll and check out her back before the scan" explains Zoe.

"Okay lets go, oh and the scanner will be ready for her in a few minutes so when we have done the exam we shall take her to radiology" says Frank following behind her.

"Dan and Gabrielle could you two come and help please" asks Zoe turning to the two nurses catching up on paperwork.

"Sure" the two say in unison, then they get up and follow Zoe and frank to the resus bay and enter the cubicle.

Frank, Gabrielle, Dan and Zoe all gather in the cubicle waiting to examine cate's back, frank approaches the bed whilst Dan, and Gabrielle and zoe remained to the side of the cubicle waiting for the go ahead from there revered team leader frank.

"Cate I hear you are complaining about pain in your lower back, know before we send you to radiology we think it's best to do a log and roll and examine your back for injuries" explains Frank.

"Ok as long as it helps to relieve the pain then go ahead and do it" groans cate getting breathless as she speaks through the oxygen mask.

"good Gabrielle take her head and guide us, zoe, Dan and this other nurse roll her please, while I check cate's back, know cate let me know where it hurts when I press on your back" explains Frank.

"Ok" groans cate.

Gabrielle prepares to guide zoe and Dan and any other person who is helping in treating cate, once she has a firm grip on either side of her head she and Dan and zoe roll cate onto her right side, frank examines cate's spine by pressing on each vertebrate as he goes, nothing happened until he looks to her lower spine near her pelvis, when he notices a discolouration on her spine like bruising, when he presses down on the bruise it causes cate to wince at the pain, frank wasn't happy at what he felt under his fingertips, and he had an idea of what happened like the bullet in cates hip travelled further than they first thought and soon it ended up near her spine.

"Right change of plan, get onto radiology and tell them she needs a full body MRI and mention the pregnancy and tell them to cover up her stomach" says Frank.

"What's going" asks Cate groggily.

"Yeah me to" asks Gabrielle?

"ok cate the pain you are feeling in your back is probably from when you got shot, I think the bullet missed any organs but is somewhere near to your spine, and that is why you are in pain, and I am sorry to say you need to stay flat on your back, and no sudden movement" explains Frank.

"Great does this means I could be paralysed" asks Cate?

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, let's see what the scans show" says Gabrielle grabbing cate's hand to reassure her.


	5. Chapter 5

Ambulance chapter 5

After radiology had finished the mri scan of cate's whole body, they removed the led sheet that covered her abdomen, then they handed her back over to the staff of the emergency department, as the porters wheeled her out of the scan room, Gabrielle and frank stood waiting for the scans to be finished, soon the door to the room opens and the porters wheel out the trolley with cate lay flat on her back with a collar around her neck and sand bags under her head keeping her as still as possible.

Frank and Gabrielle grab the rails of the trolley while a porter is at either end of the trolley pushing the patient through the busy corridors of all saints, soon the four have cate settle back into the resus bay, where she tries to rest since trying to talk is boring since she has to look to the white ceiling.

"Did radiology say how long the results of the MRI will be" asks Frank talking to Gabrielle?  
"They said to give them 20 minutes to process the films and look at the results" answers Gabrielle.

"Okay good and how is our VIP patient at the moment" asks Frank?

"still in pain but I gave her some pain relief before the scan to help her relax a bit and that seemed to help, I also managed to get her to rest for a little while so if she is a sleep, even though we know it will be difficult sleeping flat on your back, so please don't disturb her" explains Gabrielle.

"I won't I promise, has she asked for anything else like maybe the father of the baby, or has she asked about heath" asks Frank?

"not about the father but she has enquired about heath and the young lad, she told me how she know feels sorry for the lad, she also told me how the father wanted to kill the lad" explains Gabrielle.

"Then why didn't he" asks Frank?

"Cate jumped in front of the lad when the father fired the gun, and she took the bullet for the young lad, she saved his life" answers Gabrielle.

"okay well keep me posted on cate, oh and keep an eye on her breathing, soon enough we will need to put in a chest tube but I don't know when, if needs be get zoe to put one in before the scan results come back" says Frank walking off in the direction of the office to catch up on paper work.

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Ambulance

Heath sat in the driver's seat of the hijacked ambulance, all he can hear from the man with the gun in the back is shouting and verbal abuse aimed at his son, Jim didn't like his son he thought he was a waste of space, and at first heath thought the same when he recognized dean dealing drugs and badgering young teenagers to deal drugs and buy them from him, after witnessing that heath made his mind up about dean he didn't want anything to do with him, but know he is stuck in an ambulance with a gun held to his head and driving round in circles.

After listening to the whole story from top to bottom, heath learned a great deal about the family currently in the back of his ambulance, he learned that the mother is collateral damage and she was injured for some known reason and know she is slowly dying at the hands of her own husband, then dean the only son is a drug dealer but not by choice he got forced into dealing at a young age by his father, once dean turned sixteen he didn't get a chance to go to college once he left school, he got thrown out of his house, and soon one of his father's friends forced him into drug dealing.

Months went by and dean turned into a bad lad, a sweet young lad from a young age goes from being a good boy and a grade a student to being a sixteen year old drug dealer, once his dad turfed him out for no reason, he was left homeless, moneyless and no food to feed himself, so when a man turned up and forced him to deal drugs and answer to a mysterious and unknown boss he had no choice as he needed the money from what he sold to stay alive, until nearly 5 months later and lots of kids ended up in hospitals with overdoses dean realized who was behind the whole operation, and so did cate and heath.

Dean sat in the corner of the ambulance while heath drove the van, he sat there listening to his dad snarl rude remarks about him and his mum, heath heard this and he hated what he heard know he knew why cate threw herself in front of dean, she knew that dean was a good lad and she didn't want him to get hurt, so she protected him and took the bullet for the young bad lad who in fact was a victim just like heath and cate and his mother, heath new he had to do something so he turns around and speaks to the foul mouthed man who was in a mid-rant at his son.

"Jim hey buddy I need you to stop with the yelling" shouts heath trying to get Jim's attention.

"Why would I stop shouting even when you ask me too, all I am doing is telling my son he is bad and what he is doing is bad, and I am also making him learn a lesson" explains Jim still shouting at heath.

"Really well at the moment your son isn't the bad person here, the bad person is you" snarls heath back to Jim.

"Why you sticking up for him" shouts Jim.

"I am sticking up for him because someone has too, since you the man who claims to be his father has a gun aimed at his head and know shouting abuse at him" answers Heath.

"Really well this boy needs to be taught a lesson, and how not to talk to his elders, and he should do as he is told and not tell lies to people" shouts Jim.

"okay I get you want to teach him a lesson but why with a gun, and what are the lessons you want to teach him, like not to deal drugs to kids or keeping dealing drugs to young kids and who cares if they die from a drug overdose" says heath standing up to the mad man.

"What is your problem with me, and the way I speak to my son" asks Jim.

"the problem I have is that you are picking on your son for no reason, and I don't think he is a bad lad I think he is a good lad and when he told you he wanted to stop dealing your product for you and your mates you got angry, and hurt your wife and know you are blaming everything on other people and hurting anyone who comes in your way" snarls heath.

"Wow you and your blonde slag of a partner are really good, but soon the two of you will be dead along with my wife and I will be the hero" laughs Jim.

"so what you going to do know have me keep driving round in circles until I run out of petrol, then you going to shoot us both like you shot my partner" says Heath,

"Maybe now do as I say or my wife or my son gets it, so turn into that warehouse there" orders Jim pointing to the warehouse.

Heath does as he is told he drives the ambulance into the disused warehouse, as he drives in slowly he comes to a complete stop and waits for Jim to shout his next orders, he looks to dean and he sees the scared look in his eyes, heath knew that a sixteen-year-old lad shouldn't be messed up in stuff like this, so he thinks to himself that he is going to do what cate intended to do for the boy and protect him from his evil father.

20 yards away a police car spotted the hijacked ambulance, they radioed it into the bosses at the nearest police station, and unbeknown to Jim the ambulance had been spotted and knows it was a waiting game.

Jim order heath and his son to get the trolley off the ambulance with his wife lay on it, once the trolley is out of the ambulance heath checked the wife's vitals and he noticed something she was slowly deteriorating and he knew if she didn't get to a hospital soon she would be dead, all heath could do is sit with dean waiting for a miracle while Jim sat in a corner with the gun in his hand thinking of what sick thing to do next.

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Emergency department

In the emergency department all the staff were waiting for news on two of their friends, the first one lay flat on her back not moving because she may have a bullet near her spine, and her partner is outside somewhere either hurt or okay and alone with no help, all the staff were scared, but then there was good news for cate.

"Frank radiology has got the results and they gave me the report on cate's injuries" says Gabrielle handing over the file with papers in containing the results from cate's MRI.

"Oh good let's see if we can get some good news for us all" says Frank grabbing the file from Gabrielle's hands and opens the file and reads them.

Zoe walks to the nurses station after she had finished putting a chest tube into cate's chest, as the broken ribs eventually punctured her lung, as she is filling out paperwork at the desk she looks up to see frank reading some results, she figures out who the results are for.

"Hey are those cate's scanning results" enquires Zoe.

"Yep frank just reading them how is she now after the chest tube is in" answers Gabrielle asking how her friend is.

"Chest tube went in ok, and she is breathing comfortably, but she may need a top up of pain relief soon, but I would hold off until surgery come down and assess her" says Zoe.

"Okay I will pop in and check on her soon" reply's Gabrielle.

"and the good news is the bullet hadn't damaged her spine, it is just near her spine probably pressing on the nerves and that's what causing the pain in her back, inform mike and get a spinal surgeon down here" explains frank.

Half an hour later mike and a spinal surgeon come down and assess cate's injuries, luckily for her they can remove the bullet and she may not lose the use of her legs, but then her other problem is the baby, but then mike came up with an idea which all the team and cate agreed on, soon cate was on her way up to have the operation on her back.


End file.
